Biking

Safety

  • While bicycle helmets aren't required by law in the state of Wisconsin, given the hazardous winter road conditions and frequently oblivious motorists, they are a good idea.

  • Bicycling on the sidewalk may be legal in Madison, but it can be dangerous.

Maps

You can find a map of madison bikeways here.

Obtaining a Bike

  • UW SWAP shop

  • St. Vincent de Paul's on Willy St. has bike sales every year.

  • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/madisonfreecycle/ People frequently give bikes away on madison freecycle.

  • Free Red Bikes from Budget Bicycle Center (930 Regent St). With a deposit of $40 for a bike and $20 for a lock (Check or charge only) you can use the bike as long as you need it, and get your deposit back when you bring back the bike.

  • Good local bicycle stores include Budget Bikes, Williamson Street Bicycles (AKA "Willy Street Bikes"), and REI.
    • Budget Bikes has a series of stores along Regent St, just south of the department. Each store specializes in different things, but they can direct you to the right store. They have a good selection of both new and used bikes, as well as a repair shop.
    • Willy Street Bikes has a store on West Washington right next to the "Missing Link" trail. They have a good selection of bikes and a repair shop.
    • REI is out near the West Towne Mall. They hold clearance sales early in the year, and there are often some good deals.
  • Don't buy your bike at Walmart or K-mart or some other large department store. The bikes are of inferior quality, the personnel at the department store can't repair them, and the components are often so bad that they break quite rapidly. You'll end up bringing it to a bike store to get it repaired. Imagine if you brought your malfunctioning Game Boy to an Apple repair shop. This should give you some idea of the way bike shop employees will react to department store bikes.

Bike Maintenance

  • You can get a free tune-up during the annual Bike to Work week extravaganza which is typically held in May.

Winter Cycling

  • Use your common sense and always remember that since you're a student you can ride the bus (Madison_Metro_Transit) for free.

  • Some dangers of winter cycling are:
    • Falls from slipping on ice or irregularities in the road that are hidden by the snow.
    • Frostbite --- you run the risk of frostbite in your fingers and toes which are unavoidably exposed. Persons with poor circulation are particularly vulnerable. There's nothing like a pair of lead-colored, temporarily paralyzed hands for making you wish you'd taken the bus.
    • Collisions with motorists --- it may be impossible in the winter for the streets to be fully plowed and it is dangerous to ride in the frozen slush at the side of the road. Cyclists are forced to ride further out into the street for their own safety increasing the chance of collision with motorists.
    • Rashes --- repeatedly exposing sweaty skin to very dry, windy air can result in upleasant skin conditions.
    • Rhinitis --- you may find that your nose runs excessively, even when you're not biking.
  • That being said, cycling on a brisk day can be thoroughly enjoyable.

Registering Your Bike

Computer Science Road Cycling

Bike Trails/Rides

There are several good bike rides around Madison. These include:

  • The Southwest Bike Trail starts just south of the department and heads southwest, paralleling Monroe Street.
  • Cap City Trail starts near Olin/Turville Park (John Nolen and Olin St) and wraps around the south of town. It joins the Southwest Bike trail just south of the Beltline, and continues west to the Military Ridge trail.
  • You can ride around Lake Monona, though some of that ride is on surface streets.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the Elroy-Sparta bike trail north of Madison (between Elroy and Sparta). This trail is an easy ride, and has some of the best scenery in Wisconsin.

Biking (last edited 2007-08-15 15:10:55 by mulhern)